Actor Rupert Grint has spoken out about his “complicated” relationship with Harry Potter author JK Rowling after controversial anti-trans comments. “I compare JK Rowling to an aunt,” Grint, 33, wrote in an article for The UK Times on Saturday, January 15.

“I don’t always agree with everything my aunt says, but she’s still my aunt. It’s complicated,” he said. After Rowling posted several tweets with anti-trans sentiments, the actor shared a statement expressing his solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in 2020. “I strongly support the trans community. Trans women are women. Trans men are men,” he said. Grint told Us Weekly at the time.

“We should all have the right to live with love and non-judgment,” he said. Grint co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, also issued a statement condemning Rowling’s tweet. The Servant star previously spoke about her decision to speak out in support of the trans community during a March 2021 interview with Esquire. “Sometimes the silence is even louder,” Grint said then.

Rupert Grint stands firm against JK Rowling

Grint added that he felt compelled to say something “just out of kindness and just out of respect for people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs to be preserved.” The actor recently appeared with his Potter co-stars at HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion special, where he reflected on the lifelong bonds he has with fellow alumni. Hogwarts.

“We have seen each other grow. We grew up together. We are family,” Grint told Watson, 31, during an emotional conversation. “Even though we don’t always see each other, yes. It’s a strong bond we will always have, and we will always be a part of each other’s lives. “